Royce & Associates LP Increases Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 388,237 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,044 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.46% of AXIS Capital worth $34,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth approximately $247,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth approximately $507,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $212,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $190,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.25.

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Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXIS Capital stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.87. The stock had a trading volume of 938,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 556,585. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $60.45 and a 1-year high of $98.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. The stock's fifty day moving average is $91.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. As a group, analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

AXIS Capital Company Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products in Bermuda, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions, employment practices, fiduciary, crime, professional indemnity, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers; and property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, property in transit, onshore renewable energy installations, and physical damage and business interruption following an act of terrorism.